FOLIAR APPLICATION of IRON CHELATED FERTILIZER and SURFACTANTS for MANAGEMENT of IRON DEFICIENCY CHLOROSIS in SOYBEANS a Thesis
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FOLIAR APPLICATION OF IRON CHELATED FERTILIZER AND SURFACTANTS FOR MANAGEMENT OF IRON DEFICIENCY CHLOROSIS IN SOYBEANS A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Science By Heidi Renae Rasmussen In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Major Department: Soil Science December 2015 Fargo, North Dakota North Dakota State University Graduate School Title FOLIAR APPLICATION OF IRON CHELATED FERTILIZER AND SURFACTANTS FOR MANAGEMENT OF IRON DEFICIENCY CHLOROSIS IN SOYBEANS By Heidi Renae Rasmussen The Supervisory Committee certifies that this disquisition complies with North Dakota State University’s regulations and meets the accepted standards for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE: Dr. Amitava Chatterjee Co-Chair Dr. R. Jay Goos Co-Chair Dr. Tom Peters Approved: 3-7-2016 Dr. Frank Casey Date Department Chair ABSTRACT Iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) is a production challenge for farmers growing soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], especially in the Red River Valley. It is critical to correct this deficiency as soon as symptoms arise before growth, and ultimately yield, is negatively impacted. Field experiments of foliar applied iron fertilizers (o-o-EDDHA, o-o-EDDHSA, HEDTA, and an amino acid) and suitable adjuvants (HSOC [high surfactant oil concentrate], non-ionic surfactant, acidifier, and organosilicone surfactant), to control IDC were conducted during the 2013 and 2014 growing seasons, respectively. There was high variability among the results for both the SPAD meter readings and soil iron concentration. The yield values were greater in the treated plots than with control plots, but not significantly so. Further experiments should be conducted to gain more knowledge on the prolonged use and efficiency of these products in the correction of IDC. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my deepest thanks and gratitude to: Dr. Chatterjee for his help, encouragement, and guidance throughout this project, all of which started before my research began; Norman Cattanach for his field and harvest assistance, as well as the many long talks about the how’s and why’s of field research; Dr. Goos and Dr. Peters for their continued guidance and expertise as committee members; and the North Dakota Soybean Council for funding this research. iv DEDICATION This is dedicated to my family, who have stood beside and supported me in every venture I have taken. Always pushing me to achieve my goals no matter how trivial they may seem, and being the best support system I could have ever asked for. This is dedicated to my best friend, Cassey, who not only supported my decision to go back to school, but helped out during all the long summer days of field work. Always there to lend an ear or helping hand whenever I became too stressed or burnt out to do it alone. This is dedicated to my boyfriend, John, who is always there supporting me in everything I do. Being a great supporter of all my ideas and willing to help see them through, as well as pushing me to do my best. This is dedicated to all the farmers in Minnesota and North Dakota I have had the pleasure of meeting through research, work, family, or as neighbors. You have all helped cultivate my love of farming and growing things. I hope this research benefits you all in some way. This is dedicated to all the Professors and Soil Scientists who have helped me garner my interest and increase my knowledge in the world of soil science. Thank you for your guidance, nurturing, and teaching through all these years. I have learned so much from all of you. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iv DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................ v LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... ix ORGANIZATION OF THESIS ..................................................................................................... 1 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................... 2 History of Iron Deficiency Chlorosis .......................................................................................... 2 Roles of Iron in Crop Growth ..................................................................................................... 5 Iron Chelates ............................................................................................................................... 8 Adjuvants and Surfactants ......................................................................................................... 12 MATERIALS AND METHODS .................................................................................................. 16 Experimental overview ............................................................................................................. 16 Field Trials ................................................................................................................................ 16 Soils ........................................................................................................................................... 17 Solutions .................................................................................................................................... 20 Observations .............................................................................................................................. 21 Statistical Analysis .................................................................................................................... 21 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ................................................................................................... 23 Relative Chlorophyll Content .................................................................................................... 23 Soil Iron Concentration ............................................................................................................. 27 Yield .......................................................................................................................................... 31 GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ....................................................................................................... 34 vi REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 36 vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Soil series and classification of nine soybean fields in North Dakota used for testing foliar application of Fe-chelates and adjuvants during FT1 (2013) and FT2 (2014)…...…………………..………………………………………………………18 2. Soil properties from soils from nine locations used for testing foliar application of Fe-chelates and adjuvants……………………..…………………………………....…19 3. Fe-chelate (FT1) and adjuvant (FT2) treatments, with the amount of product used per application.………………………………………………………………..…....20 4. Relative chlorophyll (SPAD) values from a Minolta SPAD-502 meter for a soybean leaflet at each FT1 location before, during, and after spraying………….......…24 5. Relative chlorophyll (SPAD) values from a Minolta SPAD-502 meter for a soybean leaflet at each FT2 location before, during, and after spraying………….......…26 6. Soil iron concentration at each location during FT1 before, during, and after spraying…………………………………………………………………………………..28 7. Soil iron concentration at each location during FT2 before and after spraying…….……30 8. Yield after harvest and cleaning for FT1…...……………………………………………31 9. Yield after harvest and cleaning for FT2...………………………………………………32 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. A molecular structure of an Fe 3+ synthetic chelate commonly found in fertilizers (Alvarez-Fernandez et al., 2005)………………………………...………………………10 ix ORGANIZATION OF THESIS This thesis is divided into (i) literature review, (ii) materials and methods, (iii) results and discussion, (iv) conclusion, and (v) references. The literature review discusses the history of iron deficiency chlorosis, the role of iron in plant nutrition, iron chelates, and adjuvants and surfactants. The materials and methods section explains the procedures for the field experiments, measurements, soil analyses, and statistical analyses for both growing seasons. The results and discussion section discusses the results of the field experiments. The thesis is then summarized by the general conclusions, followed by the references cited section. 1 LITERATURE REVIEW History of Iron Deficiency Chlorosis Iron (Fe) is the fourth most abundant element in the earth’s crust, with North Dakota soils, on average, having 5% Fe by weight (Franzen, 2013). Deficiency of iron is becoming a common problem in many vegetal species (Ortiz et al., 2007) since it is vital for important plant functions such as photosynthesis, DNA synthesis, protein formation, biological N 2 fixation, and respiration (Caliskan et al., 2008). Iron deficiency chlorosis is a common nutritional disorder worldwide under both calcareous and alkaline soils (Rodriguez-Lucena